editor's picks

Skull animation

Posted: Feb 10, 2009 | 10 sec

Compressive stress in the cranium of Australopithecus africanus, an extinct early human, was imposed by biting on the premolar teeth. Bright colors correspond to high stresses, and indicate that a bony pillar running alongside the opening of the nasal cavity acts as a strut that structurally reinforces the face against premolar loads.